COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The No. 2-ranked Maryland women's lacrosse team held No. 9 Virginia scoreless in the second half on its way to an 11-5 defeat of the Cavaliers Friday.

Maryland (4-0, 2-0 ACC) thwarted a ten-minute stall tactic by Virginia to outscore the Cavs 5-0 in the second half and earn its second conference victory in six days.

After the two perennial powerhouses battled to a 6-5 Maryland advantage through the first 30 minutes of play, Virginia came out of the locker room at the half with a draw control win and a six-minute lethargic possession in which the they did not tally a shot.

UVa finally took a stab at the back of the net with 23:37 remaining in the stanza but a failed Terp clear attempt allowed Virginia to gain control once more. Again the Cavs attempted to deny Maryland's high-power offense by slowing the pace of the game for an additional four minutes until a Brittany Poist caused turnover jumpstarted Maryland's explosive five-goal scoring spree.

Laura Merrifield scooped up the ensuing ground ball, drove the length of the field, and dished to fellow classmate Sarah Mollison for a 7-5 Maryland lead before Poist's game-high fourth caused turnover led to a Brandi Jones' free position goal which cushioned the Terps' lead to three.

The Maryland defense went on to grant Virginia a mere three shots in the stanza while the Terps capped their 7-0 run with three more goals, including a pair of acrobatic scores by Jones and Karri Ellen Johnson.

"It's great to get an ACC win on our own field," head coach Cathy Reese said, referencing Maryland's official home opener after its first match of the year was moved due to a record snowfall in College Park in February. "It was a hard-fought game against a very good UVa team. Our adjustments at halftime really allowed us to demonstrate what we are capable of in the second half."

Johnson ended the day a match-high four goals while adding an assist, two caused turnovers, a draw control and a ground ball. Mollison also tallied five points on two goals and three assists. Caitlyn McFadden extended her streak to 28 games with a point with three goals on the night. The three, along with defender Karissa Taylor, were tabbed to the 2010 Tewaaraton Watch List earlier in the day.

Maryland held a decisive shot advantage, 33-11, and has yet to allow an opponent to reach a double-digit goal output this season.

The Terps heads back on the road Tuesday with a match at George Mason at 4 p.m.